An “aggressive” water buffalo is on the loose in the Des Moines metropolitan area
Video shows free-roaming water buffalo in a Nashville neighborhood
A herd of free-roaming water buffalo was spotted in a neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee.
Pleasant Hill authorities said they would use all available resources Monday to search for an escaped water buffalo that was shot and killed by a police officer over the weekend.
Pleasant Hill police were called to 2060 Northeast 56th Street on Saturday after a caller reported seeing an animal running loose in the street. Police identified the animal as a water buffalo and began working with the Animal Rescue League and Des Moines Animal Control to apprehend it.
The water buffalo escaped from its owner’s possession, officials said. The owner told police the mammal was aggressive.
When officers spotted the water buffalo, it became aggressive and an officer shot it once with a shotgun, the news release said. The Animal Rescue League and Des Moines Animal Control do not have tranquilizers to calm a mammal the size of the water buffalo, officials said.
The water buffalo was last seen in Little Fourmile Creek, traveling south toward Scott Avenue and Oakwood Boulevard.
Pleasant Hill police have partnered with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a drone search for the water buffalo. Officers are also using all-terrain vehicles to search the bike paths and along the creek.
According to National Geographic, the water buffalo is the largest member of the cattle tribe. It can weigh 700 to 1200 kilograms and grow to 2.5 to 2.7 meters long without the tail. Male water buffalo have backward-curving, crescent-shaped horns that grow up to 1.5 meters long. Pleasant Hill police did not disclose whether the escaped water buffalo is male or female.
It is also unclear where this water buffalo came from.
City officials are asking residents not to approach the animal. If you see it, call Pleasant Hill Police at 515-265-1444 instead.
City officials were unavailable for interviews Monday because all resources were being used to find the animal, the press release said.
José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at [email protected].
